The Cork Mother Jones Committee is very sad to learn of the passing of Joan Goggin. Joan has attended all our festivals since 2012 in the persona and costume of Mother Jones. In that time, she endeared herself to the thousands of people, who have visited the Festival, and became a treasured part of the annual event.
Joan Goggin. Photo, courtesy of Andy Jay
“Joan has made a huge contribution to the Spirit of Mother Jones festivals and we are all saddened by her death. On behalf of everyone associated with this festival we wish to pass on our sympathy to her daughter Eadaoin and granddaughter Aoife who often accompanied Joan and to all her family. Her kindness and positive spirit will be sadly missed by all”
stated Festival spokesperson James Nolan.
Joan was an accomplished actor and singer and always stood up for social justice and the Labour movement. Her father Bill Martin was a branch secretary of the Transport union and she was extremely proud that Jim Larkin would often visit and stay in their house during his trips to Cork.
Joan leading the March of the Mill Children in Shandon in 2019. Photo courtesy of Claire Stack.
Joan in full Mother Jones outfit often joined in with pickets by nurses and other workers in Cork. Her hero was Cork born Mary Harris, whose activities on behalf of miners and workers in America led to her being renamed Mother Jones.
Joan Goggin with UK Trade Union leader, Mick Lynch at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival. Mick’s father came from Bandon Road in Cork City, near where Joan was born. She referred to Mick as a “neighbour’s child”.Joan with Spirit of Mother Jones Award winner Arthur Leahy and Cork Mother Jones Committee 2025.Joan welcomes Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Fergal Dennehy to the Festival 2025.Final performance by Joan at the plaque in 2025.
May Joan rest in peace! We will miss you dear friend.
‘Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann’
Watch Joan above as she portrays Mother Jones visiting Cork in 1920.
In what must rank as one of the most exciting exhibitions of dancing and singing ever seen at the festival, Kalyna Choir and the Mexican Community dancers combined to produce a riot of colour, sound and joy to celebrate the official Launch of the 2025 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival at the Maldron Hotel Shandon.
Earlier the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Fergus Dennehy presided at the formal launch of the fourteenth festival.
After being escorted to the stage by his neighbour Joan Goggin as Mother Jones, the Lord Mayor described the forthcoming festival as a “festival of courage” and ‘while Mother Jones was a powerful voice for justice and workers solidarity, the fight for justice goes on and the forthcoming international festival helps to highlight the spirit of Cork born Mother Jones who fought all her life for social justice. He added that we are not just commemorating history, but we want to rekindle the flame of activism that Mother Jones lit over a century ago. Its the flame that still burns in every worker who looks for fair wages and in every child who dreams of a future which is free from exploitation.”
Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Fergal Dennehy with Lady Mayoress, Karen Brennan and members of the Cork Mother Jones Committee.
Ann Piggott presents a photograph of Mother Jones to Lord Mayor Fergal Dennehy, and Lady Mayoress, Karen Brennan.
Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Fergal Dennehy and his guitar.
Cork Mother Jones Committee member Ann Piggott in introducing the Lord Mayor referred to the loss of committee member Richard T Cooke, who had introduced previous Lord Mayors. She praised all his community work and his work to promote the spirit of Mother Jones across Cork city. A minute’s silence was held in Richards’ honour.
Ann also mentioned the late Joe Sheehan whose anniversary is today and John Jefferies who had also contributed so much to various festivals.
The Lord Mayor described Richard T Cooke as “a man of remarkable talent who brought people together and his legacy will live on in the communities across Cork which benefited from his great work and talents.”
The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress with the ladies of the Cobh Animation Team. Photo courtesy of Claire Stack.Joan, Eadaoin and Aoife Goggin.
Choir Kalyna in their native costumes then sang a number of Ukrainian songs especially poignant as their country was under serious bombing attack overnight. The Mexican Community Choir in their native clothes and wide sombreros added to the occasion. The ladies from Cobh Animation further adorned the occasion.
Joan Goggin then sang, “The Half Door”, John Nyhan added “This Land is Your Land” while the Lord Mayor with guitar in hand rounded off a spectacular launch to what promises to be a very interesting 2025 festival with “Folsom Prison Blues” and Cork’s own Jimmy McCarthy’s “Ride On’. Our thanks to the staff and management of the Maldron Hotel and to all who contributed to what was an inspiring occasion.
The Lord Mayor, Cllr Fergal Dennehy sings Folsom Prison Blues.Johnny NyhanJoan Goggin
Cllr Dan Boyle, Lord Mayor of Cork launched the 13th Spirit of Mother Jones Festival recently at the Maldron Hotel Shandon. The Lord Mayor recalled that while Mary Harris (Mother Jones) was born in Cork, but left to go to Chicago, he was born in Chicago and departed to come to live in Cork. Cllr. Boyle drew attention to the huge esteem in which Mother Jones is now held in Cork and commented about the forthcoming 100th anniversary of her death in 1930 and the 200th anniversary of her birth in 1837 and the possibility of Cork City commemorating these events.
The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Dan Boyle receives a portrait of Mother Jones from Ann Piggott on behalf of the Cork Mother Jones Committee.
This has been echoed by the recent calls from the Cork Mother Jones Committee for the Rebel City of her birth to recognise this inspirational woman by the construction of a significant statue in her honour and the naming of an appropriate place name in her memory.
After the formal Launch of the 2024 Festival the magnificent Kalyna Ukrainian Community Choir opened their performance with a beautiful version of “You Raised Me Up” and concluded with a stirring Amhrán Na bhFiann (Irish National Anthem).
Kalyna Ukrainian Community Choir singing Amhrán Na bhFiann
Kalyna Ukrainian Community Choir.
Svitlava Deikun & Victoria Tymoshehuk with Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Dan Boyle
It was a memorable occasion. Cork’s own Mother Jones, Joan Goggin welcomed the Lord Mayor with a song, which was followed by local singer, Dave McGrath. Well known musician and signer, John Nyhan gave an emotional tribute to his friend and mentor Mick Treacy who often sang with him at the Festival, but has passed away recently.
The glamour of the Cobh Animation Group further enhanced the occasion by their presence.
Master of Ceremonies, Richard T. Cooke with Cork Mother Jones, Joan Goggin.
Members of the Cobh Animation Group with the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Dan Boyle.
John Nyhan paying a tribute to his friend, the late Mick Treacy watched by the Lord Mayor of Cork and piper, Norman O’Rourke..
Everyone is now looking forward to the three day festival and summer school which commences on Thursday 25th July next at 10.30 am. The full programme is available here to download on the site. Hard copies of the festival programme are available at the Cork City and County public libraries, some post office and credit unions as well as in many shops around Cork City. We hope that the Festival has something of interest for many people as it has become one of the great Cork community Meitheal gatherings to celebrate the life of local girl, Mary Harris.
Enjoying the Launch of the Spirit of Mother Jones 2024. Photo: Claire Stack.Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Dan Boyle with some committee members and friends.Cork Mother Jones Committee at the Launch of the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2024. Photo: Claire Stack.John Nyhan with James Nolan. Photo: Claire Stack.Geraldine McCarthy, Ann Rea with Richard T. Cooke. Photo: Claire Stack.Richard T. Cooke, with Aoife and Eadaoin Delaney, along with Joan Goggin (Mother Jones) at the recent launch of the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.
Mother Jones (Joan Goggin) meeting with Mick Lynch, General Secretary of the RMT Union at the 2023 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.
Mother Jones with Mick Lynch.
Joan’s dad, Bill Martin was a branch secretary of the ITGWU for several years. When Jim Larkin visited Cork, he usually called to the Martin family home on Bandon Road for a meal and a chat.
Just a short distance down Bandon Road near Warren’s Lane was the family home of the Lynch family. Mick Lynch’s dad, Jackie Lynch emigrated from Bandon Road to London at the beginning of the Second World War.
Mick’s mother was Ellen “Nellie” Morris, who left Crossmaglen in South Armagh to go to London during the Blitz. Her brother, Mickey still runs the farm in the area.
Labour history resonates among neighbour’s children.
Watch interview between Emma Bowell of Frameworks Films with Mick Lynch at the 2023 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.
Updated 10th January 2025:
Mick Lynch has announced that he retire as General Secretary of the RMT Union in May 2025. After four years of General Secretary of the RMT and thirty years involved in the union, he has decided to step down. Mick became the public face of the trade union movement from 2022 to 2024 during the rail strikes in Britain, a period in which he articulated in a straight forward manner the socialist perspective of his working class members. In many interviews, he destroyed a series of right wing interviewers and media outlets inhabited by Tory commentators who sought to disparage his unionised train drivers who were on strike. The Cork Mother Jones Committee wishes Mick Lynch a happy retirement and congratulates him again on being selected to receive the Mother Jones Award for 2023.
The formal launch of the 2022 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival took place recently at the beautiful old Butter Market Gardens underneath the famous Bells of Shandon.
The Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Damien Boylan officiated.
Welcoming everyone, the Deputy Lord Mayor stated how wonderful it was that the Spirit of Mother Jones festival was back in the community again after two years and he praised the resilience of Mother Jones and the Committee for enabling this famous Cork woman to be celebrated.
Cork Mother Jones Committee and friends with the Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork,
On behalf of the committee Ann Piggott made a presentation to the deputy Lord Mayor of a framed photograph of Cork’s northside by Dylan Fitzgerald which is included in the 2022 programme.
Presentation to Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork, by Committee member Ann Piggott.
In addition a special ‘friend of Mother Jones Award’ was presented to Cork’s own Mother Jones, Joan Goggin for her long standing assistance to the annual festival. Joan is due to appear at the forthcoming festival where she will remember her father’s friend, trade union leader Jim Larkin who died 75 years ago this year.
James Nolan presents Joan with a portrait.Joan with a Friend of Mother Jones Award.
Anne Twomey of Shandon Area History Group then spoke about the screening of the new documentary film called Ordinary Women in Extraordinary Times produced by Frameworks Films which will be shown for the first time on Friday 29th July at the festival.
Barry and Rose from Cobh Animation.
The programme and poster for the 2022 festival was then introduced and all is now set for the eleventh festival which will be held at the Maldron Hotel Shandon and the Dance Cork Firkin Crane from the 28th July until 30th July. All are welcome.
We imagine if Mother Jones visited Shandon, before Christmas 1920. During this time Ireland’s War of Independence was raging, and much of Patrick’s Street in Cork had been recently burned down by the Auxiliaries. The funeral of Terence McSwiney, Lord Mayor of Cork, who died after a 74 day hunger strike in Brixton prison had taken place through the streets of Cork, a few weeks earlier. Mother Jones, (Joan Goggin) visits her former home near Shandon and walks around the deserted streets, where she played as a child (Aoife Delaney). She recalls her childhood memories where she, her mother (Eadaoin Delaney) and her family had once been happy prior to the Great Famine and the emigration of her family to Canada.
The Cork Mother Jones Committee will show a short film of Mother Jones visiting Cork 100 years ago in December 1920 at the Spirit of Mother Jones Virtual festival (Friday Nov 27thto Monday Nov 30th).
There is no evidence that Mary Harris/Mother Jones ever did return to Cork city where she was born in 1837 and left after the Great Hunger in the 1840s.
However for the purposes of the imagination, we imagine Mother Jones visiting her childhood home and streets in Shandon just before Christmas 1920 after the burning of Cork City.
Taking the lead role is actress Joan Goggin know to all as Cork’s own Mother Jones. Joan’s family, especially her Dad had an involvement in the labour/trade union movement for many years and the famous union leader Jim Larkin sometimes stayed in their house when visiting Cork.
The film also features a series of flashbacks to the 1840s where Joan is joined by her daughter Eadaoin Delaney who plays the role of Ellen Cotter, Mary Harris’s mother. Joan’s granddaughter Aoife plays a young Mary Harris skipping on the streets of Shandon.
In a remarkable twist of faith, in her soliloquy at Shandon, Mother Jones recalls her only son named Terence who was born in 1865, but who tragically died in the Memphis yellow fever epidemic in October 1867 and acknowledges Cork’s Lord Mayor Terence MacSwiney who had died a few weeks earlier in October 1920.
This short film entitled Mother Jones Returns to Shandonwas filmed in andaround the Streets of Shandon by Frameworks Films.
All events will be streamed by Frameworks Films for the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2020 and will be freely available to view by all.
Full programme of events will appear here and the Mother Jones Cork Facebook by mid-November.
Joan Goggin (Courtesy of Andy Jay)Joan in Shandon Joan with Lord Mayor John Sheehan at the March of the Mill Children 2019Joan at the March of the Mill Children 2019.
